The Blood Red Indian Summer
Registered by 
GoryDetails
of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 1/24/2019
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
GoryDetails of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 1/24/2019 This Book is Currently in the Wild!
3 journalers for this copy...
I got this ex-library hardcover from Better World Books. It's another entry in the Berger and Mitry mystery series which started with The Cold Blue Blood; this one comes in between Shimmering Blonde Sister and Snow White Christmas Cookie.
As usual, the book opens with a chapter about the crime itself, with a terrified woman fleeing an attacker and taking desperate steps to avoid further assault. We aren't told who these people are, so once the story proper kicks in, there's a game of "which one of these characters is going to be the victim and which the attacker".
The setup here is a bit unusual for the conservative little Connecticut-coast town: a celebrity football player with a hair-trigger temper and a penchant for violence has rented one of the beach-front homes and has moved in with family and friends, setting up security fencing in disregard of zoning laws and generally raising the hackles of the locals. (Some of the locals' hackles are also affected by the fact that their new neighbors are black; up to this point, Des Mistry herself has been one of the few people of color in town, and the only one on the police force.) The football player is on suspension for allegedly injuring a man in a bar fight; the man himself is on the scene with lawyer and loads of press, accusing the football player of assaulting his girlfriend and beating him for protesting this, but the evidence suggests the guy's just looking for a payout.
But there is a victim here, and it's someone close to the football player. Is his attempt to turn over a new leaf genuine or has he committed a truly heinous crime? Or is this vengeance by someone who feels wronged - or is it something else altogether?
I was a bit disappointed to find that I'd guessed the criminal earlier than our heroes did, despite their considerable experience with crimes. Granted, it wasn't the kind of thing one would *want* to believe, but I'd have thought an investigator would have looked there earlier than they did.
If the mystery itself wasn't quite up to scratch, I did enjoy the story, especially the scenes where Mitch and Des are suffering severe anxiety over the first meeting-of-the-parents: Des' terrifying father (who's been off his game after recovering from heart surgery, but is still a force to be reckoned with) and Mitch's delightfully quirky parents (who moved from New York to Florida a while back and are back in the area for what Mitch fears must be something health-related) have a rather awkward meeting, but - allowing for the interruption of the criminal investigation and a storm-caused power-outage - get along better than expected, and some adorable scenes ensue.
The book was a bit lighter than usual on movie quips, though the ones that appeared were choice, from Mitch's selections for a Halloween-themed movie-recommendation article to his delight in finding that one of the football player's crew is a bit of a movie-maven himself. [Side note: among the films mentioned was The Maze from 1953, one I don't think I've ever seen - and one that was based on a Maurice Sandoz book that was illustrated by Salvadore Dali (!).]
As usual, the book opens with a chapter about the crime itself, with a terrified woman fleeing an attacker and taking desperate steps to avoid further assault. We aren't told who these people are, so once the story proper kicks in, there's a game of "which one of these characters is going to be the victim and which the attacker".
The setup here is a bit unusual for the conservative little Connecticut-coast town: a celebrity football player with a hair-trigger temper and a penchant for violence has rented one of the beach-front homes and has moved in with family and friends, setting up security fencing in disregard of zoning laws and generally raising the hackles of the locals. (Some of the locals' hackles are also affected by the fact that their new neighbors are black; up to this point, Des Mistry herself has been one of the few people of color in town, and the only one on the police force.) The football player is on suspension for allegedly injuring a man in a bar fight; the man himself is on the scene with lawyer and loads of press, accusing the football player of assaulting his girlfriend and beating him for protesting this, but the evidence suggests the guy's just looking for a payout.
But there is a victim here, and it's someone close to the football player. Is his attempt to turn over a new leaf genuine or has he committed a truly heinous crime? Or is this vengeance by someone who feels wronged - or is it something else altogether?
I was a bit disappointed to find that I'd guessed the criminal earlier than our heroes did, despite their considerable experience with crimes. Granted, it wasn't the kind of thing one would *want* to believe, but I'd have thought an investigator would have looked there earlier than they did.
If the mystery itself wasn't quite up to scratch, I did enjoy the story, especially the scenes where Mitch and Des are suffering severe anxiety over the first meeting-of-the-parents: Des' terrifying father (who's been off his game after recovering from heart surgery, but is still a force to be reckoned with) and Mitch's delightfully quirky parents (who moved from New York to Florida a while back and are back in the area for what Mitch fears must be something health-related) have a rather awkward meeting, but - allowing for the interruption of the criminal investigation and a storm-caused power-outage - get along better than expected, and some adorable scenes ensue.
The book was a bit lighter than usual on movie quips, though the ones that appeared were choice, from Mitch's selections for a Halloween-themed movie-recommendation article to his delight in finding that one of the football player's crew is a bit of a movie-maven himself. [Side note: among the films mentioned was The Maze from 1953, one I don't think I've ever seen - and one that was based on a Maurice Sandoz book that was illustrated by Salvadore Dali (!).]
I'm adding this to the Crime Scene/Mystery bookbox (bookbox journal with list of choices and replacements here); the box will be on its way to its next stop soon.
*** Released for the 2021 Tick Tock challenge. ***
*** Released for the 2021 Spook-tacular challenge. ***
*** Released for the 2021 Tick Tock challenge. ***
*** Released for the 2021 Spook-tacular challenge. ***
From the Crime Scene book box. I'll be passing this on.
Received in the Color-in-the-Title Bookbox #3. Thanks!
Journal Entry 5 by 
haahaahaa98
at Little Free Library - Clark St (At Thomas St) in Belmont, Massachusetts USA on Wednesday, January 12, 2022
haahaahaa98 at Little Free Library - Clark St (At Thomas St) in Belmont, Massachusetts USA on Wednesday, January 12, 2022
Released 2 yrs ago (1/12/2022 UTC) at Little Free Library - Clark St (At Thomas St) in Belmont, Massachusetts USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
Releasing to a local Little Free Library that has a high amount of traffic / exchanges. Enjoy!
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Welcome to Bookcrossing! Please make a journal entry to let me know that this book has been caught so I know that it has found a good home with you. If you are new to BookCrossing, when you join please indicate that you were referred by haahaahaa98. I hope that you enjoy the book. You can make another journal entry with your comments when you are done reading.
Then, whenever you are ready to send it on its way, make a journal entry if you are giving or sending this book to a known person, or a release note if you are leaving it “in the wild” again for anyone to catch. Then watch its journey. You’ll be alerted by e-mail each time someone makes another journal entry. And it’s confidential (you are known only by your screen name and no one is ever given your e-mail address), free, and spam-free.
I hope that you will enjoy the BookCrossing experience!
P.S. And if you find yourself liking BookCrossing, Boston has an active group of BookCrossers who meet monthly. Check the meetup.com site (keyword Boston Bookcrossing) for details!
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**********************************
Welcome to Bookcrossing! Please make a journal entry to let me know that this book has been caught so I know that it has found a good home with you. If you are new to BookCrossing, when you join please indicate that you were referred by haahaahaa98. I hope that you enjoy the book. You can make another journal entry with your comments when you are done reading.
Then, whenever you are ready to send it on its way, make a journal entry if you are giving or sending this book to a known person, or a release note if you are leaving it “in the wild” again for anyone to catch. Then watch its journey. You’ll be alerted by e-mail each time someone makes another journal entry. And it’s confidential (you are known only by your screen name and no one is ever given your e-mail address), free, and spam-free.
I hope that you will enjoy the BookCrossing experience!
P.S. And if you find yourself liking BookCrossing, Boston has an active group of BookCrossers who meet monthly. Check the meetup.com site (keyword Boston Bookcrossing) for details!
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